Talk:Empress Theresa (Book)/@comment-37035256-20181226004538
Norman Boutin16 minutes ago (Edited) Report abuse QUOTE The appearance of Joan of Arc at Orléans coincided with a sudden change in the pattern of the siege. During the five months before her arrival, the defenders had attempted only one offensive assault, which had ended in defeat. On 4 May, however, the Armagnacs attacked and captured the outlying fortress of Saint Loup (bastille de Saint-Loup), followed on 5 May by a march to a second fortress called Saint-Jean-le-Blanc, which was found deserted. When English troops came out to oppose the advance, a rapid cavalry charge drove them back into their fortresses, apparently without a fight. The Armagnacs then attacked and captured an English fortress built around a monastery called Les Augustins. That night, Armagnac troops maintained positions on the south bank of the river before attacking the main English stronghold, called "les Tourelles", on the morning of 7 May. END QUOTE The change of pattern of the siege of Orleans did not coincide with the appearance of Joan by coincidence. Joan caused it to happen. The French got word that she was coming to Chinon, the home of the French King Charles. Even the English knew this. A French army rallied around Joan and they marched towards Orleans. ( MONTHS AGO, FRENCH SOLDIERS HAD ALREADY ABANDONED ORLEANS AS A LOST CAUSE !!!!!! ) They had to cross a river on sailboats but the wind was going the wrong way. A boat can't 'sideswipe' wind on a river. The boats could take a few soldiers across at a time but couldn't get back to the same point to get more soldiers. Her generals said they would have to take a long detour. Joan said, "Wait a while" and went off to pray. Half an hour later the wind reversed direction and they crossed the river. Orleans was the 'guardhouse' so to speak of the way into central France. The English already had northern France including Paris and also parts of southern France. If the English took Orleans, there was nothing to stop them from getting into central France and taking over the nation. There were eleven forts around Orleans. The English held all of them and held Orleans under siege. The English didn't dare leave the forts and attack the people directly because they were outnumbered 25 to one. Such a battle in the close spaces of a city could only end one way. The only battle in five months that you referred to was the "Battle of the Herrings". The English were transporting a cache of fish towards Orleans to feed their soldiers. The French attacked the English to try to stop this fish delivery, but they failed. However, this embarrassing loss saved France. How? Joan was far away near the eastern border of France. She had walked to the nearby town of the region's governor to convince him the "Voices' had commanded her to go into France far to the west and save France. You can imagine the governor's skepticism. Joan said, "This morning the French were defeated in battle near Orleans." Orleans was an eleven day horse ride away. The governor waited. Sure enough, eleven days later word came of the "Battle of the Herrings" which occurred the very morning Joan said it did. The governor gave Joan six soldiers and ten horses to travel into France. According to a folk story typical of the time, a girl would save France. Joan's great intelligence was apparent to anybody who met her. Could Joan be that girl? Word of Joan spread rapidly. The starving people of Orleans prayed for her speedy arrival. She arrived on Apr 29 and waited for the rest of the army to arrive May 4. ( ***Perhaps she went ahead??????*** ) And the rest of six hundred years of history as we know it was history. ------------------------------------- On May 8, after losing three battles around Orleans to the French, the English all assembled in a field outside Orleans. The English were the undisputed masters of field warfare if they had time to set up fortifications. Joan rushed her French soldiers out to meet them. Since it was Sunday, Joan ordered the French not to be the first to start a fight. The two armies stared at each other for an hour. Then the English about-faced and walked away. Orleans was liberated. Joan and her French soldiers entered the city where the starving people gave them thunderous ovations. It was said people kissed the footprints left by the hooves of Joan's horse. Joan later said she had to ask God to keep her from being too proud of herself.--- I KNEW IT! I FRIGGING KNEW IT! You couldn’t stay away even on Thanksgiving, of course you have nowhere better to be on Christmas than on Amazon, fighting with the “trolls”! Yet somehow none of them have been around the last few days, least of all today, to debate you! You talk SOOOOOOOO much about how great you are, how much better you are than your critics, how amazing your book is! And there you are on Christmas Day of all days, desperate to prove it! Desperate to win! You have that little else going on in your “life”! Yeah, we sure are pathetic compared to you! XD